The present invention relates to roll former apparatus with in-line transverse forming capability.
Stamping presses can produce complex parts with multiple hits, but the handling of parts between hits is expensive and leads to slow cycle times. Further, multiple dies and presses are required. Progressive dies can be used in stamping presses to form complex parts. However, progressive dies are expensive to develop, build, and maintain. These expenses increase with increased size and complexity of the component being produced. Roll formers can produce large parts at relatively low cost and at high speed, but are generally limited to producing a continuous cross-sectional shape. Further, a single roll-forming line is typically not able to make both right-hand (RH) and left-hand (LH) parts where the RH and LH parts are non-symmetrical in cross section and length.
It is desirable to take advantage of a roll former's ability to mass produce large parts at low cost, while still being able to produce a structural beam having non-uniform cross-sectional shapes. Thus, an apparatus and method having the aforementioned advantages and solving the aforementioned problems are desired.